Cat and Mouse
by HipsterMaybe
Summary: It was a game of deception from the start. But the real chase begins when Steve and Danny's plane crashes in the jungle while they flew back to Honolulu with a strange prisoner. With every moment, both sides wonder, who is the cat, and who is the mouse? Rated T. I don't own anything but the plot! Now Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Hmmm, it seems I'm always writing little one shots when I should be finishing my multi chapter stories. I really gotta work on that. Maybe this will be more than a one shot. Not sure yet, I'll see where this takes me. In the meantime…enjoy!**

Both Steve and Danny had been far too concentrated on questioning their suspect to notice that the small plane they were in was careening towards the forest they flew over. It was a small aircraft and the winds were being difficult, making for a choppy ride. Besides the pilot, only Steve, Danny, and the silent prisoner were aboard the plane. They were all strapped in. Then they felt the shift in direction and felt the harsh pull of gravity. Danny jerked his head towards the silent man, a wordless communication with Steve telling him to cover the capable fighter while he checked in with the pilot. He unbuckled his seatbelt and walked over to the door of the cockpit. He rapped sharply on the door.

"Hey buddy, what's going on?" No answer. He tried again. No answer that time either. He opened the door and was greeted with the sight of the pilot, slumped over the controls, foam dribbling from his mouth. On his lap was a small note that read "_Forgive me. It was the only way to save my family". _With the pilot very clearly dead, Danny began to think about who was going to pilot this thing. He didn't have long to think though. The last thing he saw before his world plunged into darkness was the forest rushing up to meet them.

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Steve blinked, then opened his eyes fully. Besides a few bruises, he was unharmed. In a moment, his astute senses clued him into the fact that he had been in a plane crash and everything came back to him. The Silent Man, as he and Danny had begun calling the seemingly mute prisoner, was awake and staring at him with cold eyes. Steve checked to make sure that the bastard was still secure, then ran to the cockpit to find Danny. His partner was sprawled in the corner, unmoving. Steve didn't bother to check the pilot. It was obvious that he was dead. Cyanide maybe. Instead he ran to Danny's side and gently turned him over, mindful of a possible spinal injury. Danny did not stir. Steve began to check him over for injuries. The first thing he saw was the long gash on his left temple surrounded by bruising running the length of his face. It was bleeding badly and his left eye was already swollen shut. He peeled back Danny's eyelids, noting the uneven and sluggish pupil. Next, he noticed that Danny's skin was beyond pale. He was cold and clammy as well, indicating he was in shock. His head wound was bad, but not enough blood had been lost for this level of shock. Steve looked for other injuries and when his search reached Danny's side, he found it. A large shard of glass from the windshield was protruding from his abdomen. It was long, reaching from his lower ribs on his right side to just below his navel. Steve's heart sped up in fear for his partner and his eyes cast around for a first aid kit. Skillfully removing the glass, he placed a pressure bandage on both wounds. The med kits in the planes Five-0 frequented were always incredibly well stocked for nearly any situation at their request. Steve pulled out a small syringe of broad spectrum antibiotics to prevent any of the bacteria that thrived in the jungle from taking hold in Danny's wounds. Moments after he had injected the contents of the syringe, he heard the _whang! _of gunfire against the metal sides of the plane. Running out into the passenger area, he saw that the Silent Man was gone, his cuffs lying in a heap. Steve ran outside, drawing his Beretta as he went. He could see the silent man calmly running away into a group of three well-armed men in plain black BDUs. When they saw him, they opened fire. Big mistake. Steve darted back into the plain and aimed his gun out of the shattered window. All four men dropped with Steve's four shots. Three were dead before they hit the ground. Steve had shot the Silent Man in the calf, non-lethal but it would hurt like a bitch. Seeing that the Silent Man was still unarmed, Steve bent over the strange man. He was once again shaken by the man's calm. He did not give any indication that he was even in pain. Instead, he turned towards Steve.

"I am one of many. Others will come to fill my place. We cannot be stopped." The Silent Man said in unaccented English. Then, the man made and odd movement with his jaw. Steve heard a crack, then the man began to convulse, spittle flying from his mouth. When he finally stilled, he looked very much like the pilot.

**Short intro, more to come!**


	2. Chapter 2

**For those of you who read that chapter last night, I've deleted it now since it's not really relevant. Anyway…my prescription for my pain meds (I injured my wrist so I'm not sure how often I can update. I do have surgery October 2****nd****, but hopefully I finish this by then.) has been filled! I will definitely try to make this chapter longer!**

Steve stared at the silent man for a minute, then checked his pulse. As he had expected, there wasn't one. What the hell? He quickly checked the other men, but they had nothing on them beyond their weapons. Taking a few extra magazines and tucking another gun into his waistband, he went back into the plane to check on Danny. He knelt next to his still unconscious partner, noting that despite the pressure bandage, blood was still welling up from the wound on his abdomen. When he could take his partner's silence no more, he began to lightly tap Danny's cheeks and shake his shoulders a bit. After a moment, he was rewarded with a groan.

"Danny?" Another groan. "Come on man, open your eyes." Danny's eyelids fluttered for a moment, then opened halfway and finally focused on Steve's face. "That's it buddy. You with me now?" Danny gave a feeble nod and weakly raised a hand to his head. Steve intercepted him before Danny could upset the bandages. "No, no touching Danny. How do you feel?" Danny was silent for a moment, and his eyes flickered shut again. Steve gave him a small shake, causing Danny to peel open his eyes once more. "No sleeping, Danno. C'mon, tell me what hurts." Steve was starting to worry at the fact that Danny hadn't really answered any of his questions yet.

"Head…chest…stomach. Dizzy. Tired." His voice was weak and breathy and Steve almost couldn't hear it over the drone of insects in the background.

"Yeah, you took a pretty hard blow to the head, I think you have a few cracked ribs, maybe a few broken ones, and you had a pretty big piece of glass in you. I'd give you something for the pain, but with that concussion…" Steve trailed off. The concussion check was next on his list.

"Wha' 'appened?" Danny asked, obviously confused.

"Our plane crashed, remember? Here, I need you to answer a few questions for me, ok?" Danny nodded. Steve did the whole 'how many fingers am I holding up?' thing, which Danny didn't do too well on since he was seeing three of everything. Next he asked the man his name. Danny was silent for so long that Steve had begun to fear the worst. At long last, he said "D-danny?" It seemed to be all he could manage. Steve concluded that Danny had a fairly severe concussion and, if their luck was anything to go by, possibly a skull fracture. Steve didn't even want to contemplate the possibility of a brain bleed. He frowned, thinking about how he would get them out of this. He had already checked the plane's radios, but they were trashed. So was the sat phone. Danny's cell phone was broken, but Steve's was still intact. Unfortunately, there was no service.

"Aneurism face?" Danny asked. It wasn't much, but at least it sounded a bit more like normal. Steve pasted on his best confident smile, which really looked more like a grimace and turned to his partner.

"Nah…just thinking of how we're gonna get outta here." Danny cocked his head to the side then spoke again.

"No…more. What?" Damn. Even severely concussed and in shock his partner was incredibly perceptive. He knew it was always best to be straight with Danny. Heaving a sigh, he explained about the Silent Man and the men who came to get him. Danny nodded tiredly when he was finished.

"Could be more. Need to move?" Steve still didn't like the way his partner seemed unable to form complete sentences, but at least he seemed somewhat aware. Steve nodded.

"I'm guessing we're within ten miles or so of the highway. If we get there, we can get service and call for help, but…" Steve wasn't sure Danny could make it that far. He wasn't sure if they should even try. It could do more harm than good. Danny gave him a look of determination.

"Be okay. Need to try." Steve smiled at his partner's bravery. Danny may not be a SEAL, but he had more balls than anyone he had ever served with.

"Alright, we'll give it a try. You tell me as soon as you need to rest. I'm well-armed so we can hold them off for a while. Chin and Kono will be looking for us soon anyways. We were supposed to be back an hour ago." After packing up the med kit and a few blankets into a makeshift pack, Steve hoisted Danny carefully to his feet. The man pitched forward almost immediately and he would have face planted if not for Steve's strong arms. Taking Danny's weight, Steve asked "You okay, man?"

"Y-yeah. Good now." Steve resisted the urge to snort. Danny looked anything but good. Carefully, they picked their way out of the wreckage and into the small clearing created by the impact of the plane. Danny glanced at the dead men and saw that they were missing their weapons. He glanced down at the _very _nice and _very_ expensive handgun tucked in Steve's waistband.

"New toy?" he asked. Steve gave him a smile much like the one Grace gave him when she conned him into getting her the biggest shave ice Kamekona had to offer.

"Let's just say they didn't need it anymore." Steve said with a wink. The fell into silence, Steve bent low so he could assist Danny through every laborious step. Danny stumbled frequently and was panting now. After about three miles, an incredible feat considering how badly Danny was doing, his body started to fail him. Steve noticed as he had to take more of Danny's weight every minute. He looked down and saw Danny fighting to keep his eyes from rolling back. Finding a small cave, Steve steered them towards it. Danny didn't even notice the change in direction.

"Alright Danno, time for a break." Before Danny could protest, Steve gently lowerd him to the ground and covered him with one of the blankets. "How ya doin', buddy?" he asked, hand on Danny's sweaty forehead. Despite the antibiotics, Steve could tell an infection was taking hold, possibly from a rip in his intestines. Steve cringed at the thought.

"'M okay." Danny mumbled. This time Steve didn't hold back his derisive snort.

"Yeah, I'm sure you are Danno." One look at the impossibly pale and trembling man before him told Steve that Danny was anything but okay. "Now really, how do you feel?"

"Tired…" That was all Steve got out of Danny before his partner's eyes finally won their fight to roll back and Danny passed out. Steve sighed and checked Danny's pulse and breathing. Both were awful, but there was nothing Steve could do. He folded the remaining blanket and placed it beneath Danny's head. He had really wanted to give Danny water, but with an injury like his…Steve shook his head. He really needed Chin and Kono to find them. With that thought, he fell asleep.

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Sometime later, maybe an hour or two, Steve awoke to the sounds of people talking, just outside of their cave.

"Ne, oni nisu mogli imati stečen daleko. Barem jedan od njih ozlijeđen." Steve thought for a moment. _Croatian?_ He wasn't fluent in the language, but he could tell that they were talking about how far the could've gotten. They knew at least one of them was injured. He listened again.

"Oni će biti na čelu za autoceste. Možemo ih presresti postoji." Ok, so they'd figured out where he and Danny were headed. That was potentially problematic. He looked down and saw Danny staring up at him with confused and unfocused eyes. Steve placed a finger to his lips and Danny nodded. When the voices were gone, Danny looked up at him expectantly. Steve quickly explained what he had heard.

"What now?" Danny asked. His voice was even weaker than before. Grabbing his new gun and leaving his Beretta with Danny, Steve winked at his partner.

"You stay here and rest. I'm going hunting."

**There, that was a bit longer. BTW, I love to beat the ever living crap out of Danny so all of Danny whumpers will enjoy this. I also don't speak Croatian, so this is google translate. I apologize if it's off! As always, when I can't update for a while, feel free to check out my other stories as well as those by Irene Claire. She is a superb author and I enjoy every one of her stories. Leave me a review and tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello lovelies! Sorry I haven't updated this in a while! I am determined to finish it this week so you guys don't have to wait until I'm fully healed from surgery for another chapter. If I don't finish, I promise I will chicken peck with one hand until it's done! As always, your reviews make my day!**

Steve slipped out of the cave silently. As bad as the situation was, Steve could handle this. He was in his element out here. After he carefully hid the cave's entrance, he slipped into the dense trees to follow the path the Croatians had taken. He caught up with them quickly and stayed off to the side. His face was smeared with mud and his steps were silent from years of practice. Steve was pleased to notice that he could see them, but they couldn't see him. He observed them for ten careful minutes. They were alert, but trying to cover a lot of ground and look for signs that weren't there. They walked in a long strung out line. Steve grinned. Noiselessly, he grabbed the man at the back of the line and quickly silenced him with a blow to a pressure point in the neck. Then he dragged the man into the bushes. No one looked back. Steve was too good to be noticed. He repeated the process until there were only three men left. Then he slid into the shadows and waited for them to notice that their team of twelve was missing nine members. When they did, Steve shot the two closest to him in the face. The silencer on the pistol reduced the sound to a small _pop!_ The last man turned to fire at the small sound, but Steve was already behind him, the pistol screwed into the skin behind his ear.

"Drop your gun. Quietly." Steve whispered in Croatian. He wasn't fluent, but he knew enough. The man complied. "I'm going to ask you some questions, you don't answer, I put a bullet in your balls. We clear?" The man nodded. "Good. Do you speak English?"

"Yes." The man replied. He was trying to sound brave, but Steve could hear the terror in his voice. Steve had eliminated the team silently, like some avenging angel. That was enough to make any soldier ready to piss his pants.

"You're looking for two men." Steve didn't phrase it as a question.

"Yes." The man said again.

"Why? Who sent you?" The man said nothing and Steve lowered the pistol to the man's crotch.

"Ti si majka jebao kozu, a ti si sin taj bezbožni kurva!" The man said quietly, but angrily. Steve didn't understand it all, but he could pick out something about his mother and a goat. He applied a little more pressure to the trigger and, with a phrase he learned while on a mission in Croatia a few years back from a pissed off shopkeeper, he replied.

"Imaš u pakao ti bezvrijedna guzicu obrisati. Nadam se da ćete dobiti jebeno u dupe od konja." He said it calmly. He had no idea what it meant, but he like the effect. The man eventually talked.

"Go to hell." The man said, but the fight was gone from his voice.

"You too buddy, now answer my question or I shoot your junk off." The man let out a shuddering breath.

"Father Nemesi sent us."

"Who is Father Nemesi?" Steve asked, thoroughly confused.

"He is God's vessel on Earth." The man said with conviction. Steve bit back a groan. _Great, a religious nut._ "You are one of the two men we are looking for?" the man asked. Steve nodded.

"Why did he send you?"

"You are trying to undo God's work! You took his most holy of servants, Santoro Vieri, from his mission! You killed a servant of God and Father Nemesi will have his vengeance!" the man said in a furtive whisper, his earlier bravado returning. Steve's heart sank. Santoro Vieri, The Silent Man. Religious fanatics were tricky. Many of them didn't fear death and would do anything in the name of their faith.

"How many of you are out here?"

"Too many! You won't escape you sons of whores! Father Nemesi will destroy you with God's wrath!" Steve kept the pistol on the man's crotch, but carefully removed his knife. Tracing lines with the sharp blade down the man's cheeks, he asked his question again. The fear of the knife tore an answer from the man's unwilling mouth.

"Seven teams. You will bleed before the faithful!" Pushing his fear beneath the surface, Steve placed a carefully crafted smirk on his face.

"Whatever you say, asshole." Then he hit the man in the temple and felt him crumple into an unconscious heap. After hiding and securing the team in the dense bushes, he set off again. On the way back to the cave, Steve was alone with his thoughts. _What the hell?_ All they had done was assist the local police with the takedown of some crazy bastard with a knife, who had apparently killed a whole family in Maui. After his team had perfectly executed a beautifully crafted plan, they had the Silent Man, or Santoro Vieri, in custody. He was loaded onto a plane with Steve and Danny and he was going to be taken back to Honolulu to face justice. Chin and Kono had taken a helicopter back first so they could run the finger prints and other evidence they had collected. _They have to know by now that something went wrong, _Steve thought, praying to _his_ God that it was true. When he reached the cave, he ducked inside, careful not to disturb the concealment of the plants he had put up. Danny lay exactly where he had been an hour ago, but he looked worse. Although sweat was pouring off of him, Danny shivered violently as though he couldn't get warm. His skin was as pale as a corpse's, which contrasted sharply with the bright crimson blood that stained the bandages on his stomach and head. Steve knelt down next to him and gently shook his partner's shoulders. It took ten minutes for Danny to open his eyes.

"That's it buddy. Come on. I need you to wake up for me." Steve pleaded. Danny blinked up at him with hazy eyes.

"Steve?" he asked, his voice a ghost of a whisper.

"Yeah Danno. It's me. How ya feelin'?"

"Cold. Hurts." That was all Danny could manage before he fell back into a fitful doze. Steve placed a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"I know buddy. I'm gonna get us out of here." With that, he pulled out his cell phone and the SAT phone he had taken from one of the dead Croatians. It had been damaged when the man had fallen, but Steve knew that if he could combine the parts from the SAT phone and his own phone, he might be able to make it work. After about two hours, he had a somewhat functional SAT phone. Punching in a number he knew by heart, he waited for an answer. One ring…two rings…three. On the fourth ring, a voice answered.

"Kelly." Came the terse reply.

"Chin! Thank God it worked…" he heard Chin gasp, but the sound was distorted, as if from the end of a tunnel.

"Steve? Where the hell are you guys? You were supposed to be back hours ago!"

"Chin, listen to me. Our plane crashed. We are stranded out here with at least six teams of hostiles looking for us. I'm okay, but Danny's hurt bad."

"Ok, Kono's triangulating your phone. What the hell happened?"

"The guy we arrested is named Santoro Vieri. He's part of some crazy religious cult. Some guy named Father Nemesi sent seven teams after us to get Santoro back. Chin, Santoro killed himself. Cyanide I think. The pilot too. I've eliminated one team, but I can't leave Danny alone much longer."

"Alright, we got a lock on your location. Kono just called Joe and we've a few SEAL teams ready to go in with us. We'll be there as soon as possible." They hung up and Steve sagged against the wall next to Danny. He looked down at the ashen, trembling man and placed a hand on Danny's leg.

"Help's comin' Danno. Just hang on."

**Good? Bad? I've got a lot of plot twists up my sleeve and I intend to use them! If you translate the Croatian stuff, be prepared…my friend Marko (who is Croatian) told me what to type, so I have no idea what it means…hopefully it's nothing ****_too_**** awful. Leave me a review and tell me what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey ya'll! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. My laptop had an unfortunate run in with two immature boys and a cow. Not joking. Welcome to farm country…Anyway, I don't know if I'll be able to finish this before my surgery next Wednesday, so if there's a long wait before I update, don't hate me please! Expect this chapter to be full of action. Oh, and tomorrow…Hawaii Five-0 comes back! YAY! Life=complete.**

Danny coughed. It was a harsh, wet sound that made Steve wince every time. The infection was raging through his friend's body like a ravenous flame. Danny coughed again, this time he couldn't stop. All Steve could do was carefully rub circles of the sick man's chest and speak soothing words he doubted Danny could understand at that point. When he could breathe again, he opened his glassy eyes and they eventually found Steve. In a rare lucid moment, he spoke, his voice no more than a ghost of a whisper.

"Steve…"

"I'm right here buddy. You just hang on. Help's comn'."

"Steve…you gotta leave me. They'll come back and hear me. You can hide."

"Danny, no-" But Danny silenced him with a hand.

"I won't be responsible for your death. You gotta go. Send help if you can. If not…tell Gracie Danno loves her." Steve felt his eyes fill with tears. Danny was giving up.

"Shut up, Danny. I'm not leaving you and you most certainly are not quitting on me!"

"Steve, don't be stupid."

"No. I won't do it. You wouldn't leave me and I sure as hell won't leave you."

"This is not the time to be noble! Please, Steven."

"No. Like it or not, you are my partner and the closest thing I've ever had to a brother. I am not going to leave you to die from either infection or blood loss in the damn jungle. I am well armed and _if_ we're found, I'd just like to see them try and kill us."

"Please…" Danny tried one last time, his voice begging his partner not to put his life at risk because of him.

"No. End of discussion. Just lay back down and save your energy. Help's on the way."

"Neanderthal…" Danny mumbled. He managed to make that one word sound angry, defeated, and yet grateful and touched at the same time. Only Danny.

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Hours later, Steve heard the familiar sounds of helicopters above. Positioning himself near the entrance of the cave, he watched from a place where he could see out, but nobody could see in. Fifteen minutes later, he could see the familiar forms of Chin and Kono followed by a dozen or so Navy SEALs. His face broke out into a huge smile, which quickly disappeared as he cast a backward glance at Danny. Knowing that they were too well hidden to be seen, Steve climbed out of the small opening.

"Chin! Kono! Thank God…"

"Steve! Are you okay? You're covered in blood!" Kono fretted. Chin was already looking him over for injuries. Steve shook his head.

"It's Danny's." he said quietly. "He's hurt. Bad. You got a medic with you?" Chin nodded and motioned one of the SEALs forward. The young man instantly stood at attention to the Lieutenant Commander.

"Sir!"

"At ease. Name and rank?" Steve asked. He knew these men respected rank and would rely on him for orders, but he didn't want them too scared of him. If he wasn't there, he needed to know that they would make decisions without his say so.

"Petty Officer First Class Marcus Landon. I'm also the chief medic for SEAL Team Nine. You injured sir?"

"No, but my partner is. C'mon. It's…it's bad." Landon nodded his understanding. Steve could tell this man was no combat virgin. With the rest of Team Nine guarding the cave from unseen places, Steve led Chin, Kono, and Landon into the cave. They all gasped the sight of their strong Jersey detective lying on the cave floor. Steve knelt down and gently coaxed Danny to consciousness.

"'teve?" he mumbled, almost inaudibly.

"Hey buddy. Chin and Kono are here. So is a medic and SEAL Team Nine. We're gonna get you outta here, okay?" Steve was quickly joined by the others as they formed a circle around him. Kono placed a gentle hand on Danny's forehead and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Jesus Steve, he's burning up." She said softly.

"K-kono? Tha' you?" Danny's voice was so small and weak that she barely recognized it.

"Yeah. Yeah it's me. How ya feelin' brah?"

"'M okay. Doesn't hurt anymore…"They all shared dark looks.

"Just hang in there Danny. We'll get you out of here in just a few minutes." Chin said in his trademark calm voice.

"'kay. S'good to see you guys." Once they had all spoken to Danny, Landon leaned forward.

"Detective Williams? I'm Petty Officer First Class Marcus Landon. I'm the team's medic. Can you tell me where your hurt?"

"I'm okay…doesn't hurt anymore…." Danny repeated, not realizing how much he was scaring everyone in the cave. Steve spoke up.

"Definitely a concussion, maybe more. There was also a large piece of glass lodged in his abdomen. I had to remove it when we moved, but he's lost a lot of blood and I think that it might have nicked something down there judging by the infection he has." Landon took this all in quietly, then began to assess the sick and injured man before him. He frowned when he examined Danny's eyes.

"I'm not liking his eyes. I think he might have a slow bleed." Steve's heart sank. Landon moved his gentle and practiced hands down to the large gash and removed the bandages. He sucked in a breath.

"How in the hell are you still alive buddy?" Landon murmured as he inspected the wound. "It's a mess in there. I think the glass may have torn his intestines…that would explain why he's so sick. Sepsis has probably already set in. He's definitely in shock." Landon quickly bandaged Danny up again, then, with the help of Steve and Chin, moved him to a stretcher.

"C'mon, let's get him the chopper. Team Nine will escort us to the pick-up zone, then they'll stay and hunt those crazy bastards." Chin and Landon each took an end of the stretcher and lifted Danny up gently. When Steve tried to help, Chin shot him down.

"You may not be hurt, but you're exhausted. That much is obvious. You don't want to drop Danny, do you?" That shut him up. They made their way to the entrance, Kono in the lead with Steve not far behind, followed by the others. Before they could leave, Kono held up a hand.

"Stop!" she whispered, fear and shock evident in her voice.

"What?" Steve asked, already drawing his gun. He looked past her and out into the forest. There, lined up in a neat row, were twelve men, all with their throats slit. SEAL Team Nine.

"Oh my God…Chin, Landon, stay here and keep Danny safe. Do not come out until Kono or I gives you the all clear." Without another word, Steve and Kono moved out of the cave. When they got closer to the bodies, they could see that one each man's forehead, a symbol had been drawn in blood. It was a cross made out of two swords intersecting each other, which Steve assumed was the insignia of Father Nemesi's cult. What bothered Steve the most was that they hadn't heard a sound. An attack this brutal should've had screams and cries, but it had been silent. Without warning, several men in non-descript BDU's leapt from the shadows as silently as the wind and rushed Steve and Kono. They were fast, almost unnaturally so. Exhausted as he was, Steve raised his gun. Before he could fire, his pistol was knocked out of his hand and he was tackled to the ground and fighting to keep a silver dagger from gauging out his eyes. Pulling rapid response folding knife from its sheath on his hip, he used all of his considerable strength and flipped the man onto his back. Before his attacker could come at him again, Steve slit the man's throat. Steve hated killing, no matter how justified it was. But he didn't have time to reflect on what he'd just done. Two more men rushed him, but this time, Steve was ready. He slashed the knife in a broad arc and the two men went down. He and Kono backed into each other and fought for all they were worth. For nearly ten minutes, they fought back to back. When their attackers stopped coming, they stared down in horror at the carnage. Fourteen of cult members lay on the ground. Tears leaked from Kono's eyes and she tried to suck in deep calming breaths that simply wouldn't come. Steve muttered a soft prayer.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah…Jesus."

"I know…" Suddenly, they heard a wet gurgle behind them. One man was still alive. Needing somewhere to focus his nervous energy, Steve knelt over the man.

"Who the fuck are you? I asked you a question!" he growled.

"Padre Nemesi vedrà a bruciare all'inferno, figli di puttane! Ci sono troppi di noi, non si può vincere!" The man broke off into maniac laughter, then sagged with death. Steve ran a shaking hand over his face. He could speak Italian well. _Father Nemesi will see you burn in hell, you sons of whores. There are too many of us, you can't win._ A chill ran down Steve's spine, and he wasn't sure whether it was from the adrenaline dump or the fear of what he had just heard.

"Chin…it's clear." He called out hoarsely, his voice wavering a bit. As the three men came out into the small clearing, they gasped.

"Oh my God…What the hell happened?" Chin asked. As Steve and Kono told them, they bent over the bodies of the fallen SEALs. Kono wiped the bloody symbols from their foreheads and Steve gently closed their eyes. When they had finished, they called SEAL Team Four in the helicopter, and requested pickup. As they left, Steve muttered a prayer for the fallen soldiers and begged the Lord's forgiveness for the lives he had taken. No matter how righteous of a kill, all people feel something. Some feel remorse, and others get a sick form of pleasure from it. Steve was always the former. A few minutes after they set off for the pickup zone, Danny stirred.

"Shhh, it's alright buddy. We're almost there."

"Steve…"

"Just hang in there Danno. I promise I'm gonna get you through this."

"I'm so cold…"

"I know Danny. It's the shock." Steve said, taking another blanket from Landon's pack and placing it over his partner. Taking Danny's hand, he spoke softly to the now unconscious man.

"You just stay with me Danny. Don't you go quitting on me. I need you." Twenty more minutes passed in silence, then they heard he chopper overhead and saw the basket being lowered. There were fifteen yards away when the chopper exploded in a blinding flash of light. Steve instinctively knocked the other back into the dense foliage. As he fell to the ground, a searing pain stung his shoulder. He looked down to see a burning piece of metal clinging to his right shoulder. With a yelp of pain, he pulled it off and fell into a heap of pain. In the moments after the explosion, there was a deafening silence. They all stared in horror as the remains of SEAL Team Four and any hope of rescue fell to the earth like a rain of fire.

**Reviews are good for the soul.**


	5. Chapter 5

**That season premiere though…for those of you who haven't seen it, I won't be the one that spoils it for you but daaaaammmmmnnnnnn. Too bad Steve still has that hair…I was kinda hoping that somehow it would magically get sexy again. Oh well. Rogain. Lots of Rogain.**

"No…" Steve breathed in denial as he watched his friends fall to the ground as ash. He felt the stab of loss in his gut and the clenching of his heart as he realized that that was their only way out. As he came out of his shock, the white hot agony in his shoulder registered. He groaned and shut his eyes tight against the pain.

"Steve?!" Kono asked, terror in her voice. "Chin, he's hurt!"

""M okay…God that hurts." Steve ground out clenched teeth. "Is everyone alright?" he said breathlessly.

"Yeah, you got us out of the way sir. How about you let me take a look at that shoulder?" Landon asked. Steve nodded, eyes still pinched closed.

"How's…how's Danny?" a pause.

"He's bad, Steve. We need to get you two out of here. Now." Steve cracked his eyes open. The stretcher lay a few feet from Steve and he could see Danny's pale skin, stained with the wrongness of blood. Shivers so violent they almost looked like he was convulsing wracked his body. Every now and then a harsh cough clawed its way out of his lungs. With his good arm, he reached out a grasped Danny's hand and gave it a small squeeze. Maybe it was the shivers or maybe it was his exhausted imagination, but Steve thought he felt Danny squeeze back.

"Third degree burn on your shoulder and part of your chest. It's gonna leave a mother of a scar, but that's not what I'm worried about. Lieutenant Kelly, can you hand me the saline, gauze, and a bottle of water? Infection and dehydration are my biggest concerns at this point." When Landon had finished, he gave Steve something for the pain. It didn't knock him out, but it only took the edge off. With Chin and Kono's help, he got painfully to his feet.

"Ouch…Alright, let's call in some backup. Not another helo, though. I don't know how, but those bastards had a Hellfire Missile." Chin pressed a finger to his ear.

"Steve, there's nothing." Kono and Landon tried there's as well.

"Dead air, boss."

"Mine too."

"Shit…those assholes have a jammer now too? What don't they have?" Steve said with an exasperated sigh.

"How are we gonna get out of here? We're in the middle of the jungle." Kono asked, her shoulders slumping.

"If I may, we studied the area pretty well before we came out here. I'd say we're about four miles from the nearest hiking trail, and if I'm right, that'd be another ten miles until we would reach the trail head and be able to get some help. Factor in that the other SEAL teams have to know by now that something's wrong, if we set a good pace, we might be able to get help in time for Detective Williams." Landon said.

"I like it. Just one thing. Feel free to drop all that formal bullshit. It's Steve, Chin, Kono, and Danny. Out here, no one gives a shit about rank or manners. If you're one of the good guys, I'll trust you, and, based on what I've seen today, I'd say you're with us." Steve said, with a ghost of a smile.

"Sounds good si-I mean Steve." Landon replied, returning Steve's faint smile. They continued on in silence, Kono and Landon leading the way, each one holding an end of the stretcher. Danny lay still between them. The shivering had stopped, but his fever had gone up. They all knew he didn't have long. Steve and Chin followed a few steps behind. The events of the day, _God, had it only been a day?_, were catching up to Steve. The exhaustion, pain, and adrenalin crash were taking their toll. As was the dehydration and the beginnings of an infection. After half an hour of stumbling, tripping, and running into trees, Chin draped Steve's good arm around his shoulders and took some of the man's weight. All told, they were a sorry looking bunch. Two of them were injured, all of them were covered in blood, sweat, dirt, and ash and all of them were exhausted. Steve had to concentrate on just putting one foot in front of the other. That scared him. Without someone watching and ready, they were extremely vulnerable to attack. As night fell, Steve saw a cave and decided that they would stop here for a couple hours. Father Nemesi's men had night vision goggles. They didn't. As they settled into the cave, they all checked their phones and radios, but they were still dead. Steve and Danny were laid in the corner and draped with blankets. Landon coaxed a few antibiotics down each of their throats before they succumbed to unconsciousness.

H

5

0

When dawn came, as much as Steve wanted to melt into the rock and never move again, he rallied his troops. He knew they couldn't stay for long. Danny didn't have that kind of time and Steve wasn't sure how much he had either. Six hours they trudged silently, without a whisper of movement from the men they knew to be silently stalking them. When they reached the trail, they could feel a small portion of the weight on their shoulders leave. It was a little easier going on the well-defined path and even ground. The attack came out of nowhere. Suddenly, the silence that had fallen over them was shattered by battle cries.

**Well, there goes another chapter. Be sure to tell me your thoughts! And if you want me to write a fic for you, leave me and idea and if I think I can do something with it, I'll turn your idea into a story! It may take a while with my upcoming surgery, but I will try my hardest!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm tiiiirrrrreeeeddd (said in my very best whiny kid voice). But, I promised I would update as much as possible before Wednesday, so I shall have to postpone naptime and get to work. I'm sorry I haven't had time to reply to all of your lovely reviews, but please know that you all brighten my day.**

Even through all of the confusion the four members of the odd little group who were still able to stand set Danny down and formed a protective circle around him. While Steve and Landon fired back the first wave, Kono and Chin pulled extra ammo from Steve and Landon's pockets and loaded up. They soon fell into a rhythm. While two fired, two reloaded. On and on the fired…until the slides locked back on their guns and they were firing dry. Not missing a beat, they pulled out there knives and slashed back their attackers. Bodies were piling up around them, but they didn't slow Father Nemesi's men. On the contrary, it fueled their rage. Landon was the first to fall. A vicious stab straight to the heart left the young SEAL choking on his own blood. Though they all knew it was too late, Chin and Kono covered Steve as he knelt next to the dying man.

"Landon! Landon…Marcus!" Steve yelled desperately as he applied pressure to the wound. Landon's eyes flicked to Steve's.

"N'gonna m-make it, C'mmander. 'M sorry." Steve felt tears sting his eyes.

"Nonono, don't give up on me sailor. You stay with me, that's an order."

"I've nev'r been one much f-for insubordination, sir. But God's callin' me up." All the sudden, it hit Steve. That young boy with the Texas accent that sounded like kindness and mom's apple pie and who represented everything America stood for, was going to die. Right there in his arms. He had a minute at the most. Tears leaked from the corners of Steve's eyes.

"You've made your country proud, officer. Made me proud." Steve said, his voice thick with emotion.

"Thank you, Commander. I'll be w-watchin' over ya'll. Keep safe, sir." Landon's eyes closed. His breathing halted. His heart stopped. Steve bowed his head and squeezed the young man's hand one last time.

"Rest well, Petty Officer First Class Marcus Landon." Rising with a new energy powered by anger and loss, Steve lashed out with his knife, doubling the body count. Bullets fired at them, but they all seemed to miss. After a few minutes, hours maybe, the forest stilled into a foreboding silence. Then three consecutive shots took Steve, Chin, and Kono in the chest. They fell hard, gasping for breath that wouldn't come. Though the Kevlar they wore kept them alive, it didn't stop the foot pounds of impact and they were slammed into the dirt. Three men stepped out of shadows, each with a knife in their hand. Each bent over one of them. Through all of their pain, Chin and Kono were able to drive their own knives into their attackers, who fell on them, leaving them pinned. Steve, however, was not at his full strength. Try as he might, the blade drew ever closer to his throat. Just as hi strength failed him and his arms went limp, a shot rang out and the man was blasted back. His shocked eyes tracing the bullet's path backwards, back to Danny. Steve's gun, the one he had brought with him on the plane and that he had left in the cave with Danny when he had gone 'hunting', was clutched in his partner's shaking grip. Danny gave him a weak half smile.

"Guess I took you seriously when you said I was the backup." His eyes closed, but his chest continued to rise and fall, even if it was barely. Steve crawled over to him.

"Thanks partner. You just hang in there and stay with me. We're almost outta here."

"Nowhere t'go. Can' really w-walk, 'member?" Danny mumbled. Chin and Kono had dragged themselves to their fallen teammate's side as well.

"That's good, Danno. You keep that up. Stay awake." There was a pause.

"Marcus didn't make it, did he?" Danny asked, his voice even softer. Steve shook his head as though he were trying to shake of the memory.

"No." was all Steve could manage. After a few moment's rest, they grudgingly hauled themselves to their feet and continued on. All three of them helped carry Danny, even if Steve could barely walk straight, let alone stay upright. When they were no more than a few feet from the scene of the horrific fight, they heard a burst of static. Then,

"Pyat' komand , vkhodite Za." Russian, now _that_ was a language Steve knew well. '_Team Five, come in.' _Taking a chance, he bent down to retrieve one of the dead men's radios.

"Pyat' komand , zdes'. Tseli byli likvidirovany. Za." _'Team Five here. Targets have been eliminated. Over._

"В настоящее время размыкания генераторы. Вернуться к рандеву точки. Над." _Disengaging jammers now. Get back to Rendezvous point, over._ Steve smiled and squelched the static to indicate his understanding to the unknown Russian on the other end.

"Try your phones. Jammers are offline." Steve said urgently. Suddenly, a new voice cam though Chin's radio. This voice was in English and was _very_ American.

"Commander Gutches, reaching out to SEAL Teams Four and Nine. Four and Nine, do you copy? Have McGarrett and Williams been secured? What is you status? Radio silence is not part of the mission." Steve smile widened. Commander Wade Gutches. Now that was a man he could trust. He had led SEAL Team Nine into North Korea along with Joe and his own team to rescue him.

"Wade, its Steve."

"Steve? Shit son, you guys okay? You been radio silent for a long time now."

"Wade, Nine and Four are gone. We're in bad shape. Chin, Kono, and I will be okay in the short term, but Danny needs help now. We're somewhere on the north side of Lana'i Forrest Park."

"Jesus…alright, hang in there. We got your location and we're comin'. Evac chopper-"

"No! No choppers. These bastards have land to air Hellfire missiles. That's how they got Team Four. Approach on foot, but use extreme caution, there's a ton of them out here."

"Copy that, Steve. Me and Funky Joe are comin' in on foot. No SEALs with us, but we gotta a lot of special ops boys who are all first team shooters with a lotta respect for Five-0. Be there in twenty." They made it in fifteen. Against his will, Steve was forced onto a stretcher. Even as he protested, his legs gave out and he nearly went face down into the dirt. Chin and Kono could walk, but not without help. Slowly, they made their way back to the trail head without incident.

"Alpha, baker, and Charlie teams, gear up and head back in there. Get those cocksuckers for Nine ad Four." Joe barked. He glanced at Steve, nodded, then turned back to the men.

"Hooah." They all replied with quiet determination. The fires of loss and the need for revenge burned in their eyes. Steve had always loved the saying 'hooah'. It wasn't used much in the Navy, but it was a universal language for all branches of service. It could mean anything from 'yes sir' to 'fuck you'. Occasionally both. This time, the word was a bloodthirsty call to arms.

"Be careful out there." Steve said in a weak whisper.

"Always are, sir." With that, they slunk back into the shadows and hunted like creatures of nightmare. Steve and Danny were loaded into the same ambulance, Chin and Kono were seated on the bench next to them. As soon as they were within a safe distance, they were loaded into a helicopter. One he was within the safe confines of the chopper, Steve let himself drift away into the blackness that had been clawing at his vision for so long.

**Secondhand SEALs to the rescue! I felt bad about killing Landon, but he was such a great character for furthering Steve's development that I just had too! For those of you who don't remember, yes, Wade Gutches ****_is_**** an actual character from the show. Big guy. Joe said he didn't know how to build a boar blind. Comin' back to ya now? Again, the Russian could be off since it's google translate, so don't hate. Loving the reviews, so keep 'em comin'!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok, I seriously friggin' love you guys. You have been so kind, patient, and supportive and I am truly blessed to have readers like you. No, I am not actually typing. Mitch (I guess most of you know him by now. He's just great isn't he?) got me that Dragon Nuance speech recognition thing that types what you say. It is awesome! I mean, I look a little funny talking at my laptop, but whatevs!**

When Steve finally felt awareness return, it took him a moment to realize that he was no longer in that hellish jungle. He also realized that burning in his shoulder was gone. Morphine probably. That would explain why his thoughts were so fuzzy. After a moment, the other occupants of the room seemed to notice his return to consciousness as well.

"Steve?" came a soft feminine voice. Kono. He tried to smile, but he couldn't quite remember what muscles to flex. He settled instead on trying to open his eyes. After a few false starts, his eyes blinked into focus.

"Hey boss. How ya feelin'?" she asked.

"M'okay. How long've I been out?"

"About nine hours. Docs got that burn fixed up and out you on some antibiotics. They also expected you to sleep longer since your body was so exhausted." They were silent a beat, then Steve asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to.

"Danny?" Kono shook her head and placed her thumbnail between her teeth.

"He's alive, but…"

"But what, Kono?"

"It's bad, Steve. Chin's over in the waiting room where Danny's having surgery-"

"He's _still_ in surgery?" Steve interrupted. She nodded.

"Chin's been getting updates from the nurses every few hours. Docs say his skull is fractured and there is some swelling in the brain, but they're hoping it goes down on its own since it unlikely that he would survive the surgery."

"Jesus…what about his other injuries?"

"That glass did a number on him. They've already given him three units of blood, but he just lost so much. It also tore his intestines, causing sepsis. They…Steve, they say they don't think he'll make it." Tears flowed down her cheeks and she took Steve's hand. "But they don't know our Danny, right? Stubborn as all hell…"

"Yeah…" Steve said softly. Danny couldn't die. Then Steve truly would be all alone. He had had loved ones die before, but if he was being honest, he was closer to Danny than any of them. Though he could never admit it, he knew that if Danny died, he would too. Not physical, no. But he knew himself well enough to know that he would shut down, retreat inside of himself. No matter how many people tried, nothing could ever make things right again.

"He can't die, Kono. I can't…"

"I know. But Danny's strong. If anyone can prove the doctors wrong, it'll be him." Kono's phone buzzed softly and she glanced down at the text.

"Chin says he's out of surgery and will be settled in the ICU in about ten minutes."

"Kono, I need to be there. I need to-"

"I know. That's why I've already talked with your doctor. At first he was opposed to it, but he said it might be beneficial to both of your recoveries." Steve gave her a smile.

"Have I ever told you that you're the best? 'Cause if I haven't, I'm a total ass." Her lips twitched and she squeezed his hand.

"C'mon. Let's get you down there."

H

5

0

As promised, Steve was allowed to see Danny. It was a new experience for him, not having to fight to be with his partner. Not that he was complaining. The nurses found him a comfortable chair and a few blankets, but otherwise left him alone as he sat with Danny.

"You need to fight this man. You can't…you can't leave me all alone. Without you, I'm nobody. I'm nothing but a soldier. You've made me into who I am. I've never had a friend like you. A brother. In these last few years, you've saved me countless times. Not just from bullets, but from myself. Danny, if I could save you, you know I would. Best I can do is beg you, please, just fight!"

By the time Steve was done, tears stained his cheeks and he shook from the exhaustion he had been ignoring. Reluctantly, he gave into his body's pleas for rest and fell into a restless sleep with his read resting beside Danny's.

When he awoke, instead of the comforting sounds of the ocean outside of his bedroom window, he heard the whooshing and beeping of the machines surrounding his friend and remembered with sickening clarity the events that had landed them here. As he clumsily wiped the sleep from his eyes, he took in Danny's appearance. His skin was pale, almost translucent, except for the dark purple smudges beneath his sunken eyes. His eyes were closed, but his mouth was slightly agape from the ventilator. Steve hated that machine. No matter how many times he tried to tell himself that it was keeping his partner alive, all he could see was how wrong it was. Steve thought back to the previous times when he had seen Danny unable to breathe for himself and how much discomfort that damned tube brought him. Steve placed a cautious hand on Danny's forehead, alarmed at the heat rolling of the sick man. A quick glance at one of the many monitors told him that Danny's temperature was hovering at about 104.9 degrees. Seeing a basin of water and a cloth that the nurses had brought in earlier, he gently wiped the sweat from Danny's face as he whispered words of encouragement to him. Sometime later, though how much later he did not know, Chin and Kono came in.

"Hey boss. How is he?" Kono asked quietly, taking a seat opposite him.

"About the same. At least he's not any worse…"

"What about you?" Chin asked, critically eyeing the former SEAL.

"I'm fine Chin. Honestly." Steve replied, not looking up from Danny's face.

"He's going to pull through Steve. We both know how stubborn he is."

"I know, I just…hate this. I really just-" whatever Steve was going to say was cut off as a man of about thirty entered the room.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Commander McGarrett?" the man asked. Steve quickly recognized the man as one of the leaders of the teams sent after Father Nemesi's men.

"Yes."

"First Sergeant Ryan Mack, sir. Commander White asked me to update you on the situation."

"Did you get those sons of bitches?" Steve asked, his voice low and venomous.

"No sir." Said the man with just as much hatred toward this mysterious enemy. "They took out Baker and Charlie. By the time we found their bodies, those bastards were long gone. Stealth helo."

**Uh oh…hmmmm, are our religious nuts done with our heroes? Pssshhh, would I do that to ya'll? Nahh, there's more coming! Thanks for being so awesome and patient, you guys are awesome!**


	8. Chapter 8

**READ THIS IF YOU'RE HAVING PROBLEMS REVIEWING! So, real quick, I totally forgot about the review thing! Sorry! So if you posted a review for the previous chapters (which were authors notes) 8 or 9, it won't let you post another. I completely forgot about that part! Again, super sorry! Oh, and I'm gonna try and do a flashback thing here, so the big chunk of italicized words are a flashback.**

"The rendezvous point." Steve said with a groan, inwardly cursing himself as he remembered his brief conversation with the Russian. "They were already on their way out. And we didn't have any birds in the air because of their missiles. Shit…"

"But, we do have the bodies of the boys you took out, sir. Not to mention, you left a few Croatians alive. They're pissed as hell, but we got ways of making them talk." Mack said, a fierce gleam in his eyes.

"Give 'em hell, First Seargent." Steve replied with a cold sincerity.

"Hooah."

"So, what exactly do you think they can tell us? I seriously doubt they know exactly where this Nemesi guy is." Kono asked.

"So do we. But there's no way these are just some bat shit villagers who were handed guns and now think they're soldiers. These SOBs had top of the line training and they had to have gotten it somewhere. We find out everything about them, dig into their lives and maybe we'll find Nemesi."

"I want to know as soon as you have something. We're taking them down. Hard." Steve said. Mack nodded.

"Yes sir. Commanders White and Gutches both told us that Five-0 was to stay in the loop."

"Okay, good. One more thing. Run the name Santoro Vieri. He was the prisoner we were transporting when this whole mess started and he's supposedly Nemesi's right hand. You'll find his body near the wreckage of the plane."

"On it, sir." Mack said. He saluted once then left the room, leaving them all to digest the new information.

"Who the hell is this guy?" Steve wondered aloud.

"I don't know. I feel like I'm only just starting to see the shape of things. Whatever this is, it was in place long before we knew what was going on. I think we need to look into that family Vieri killed in Maui. They must've had something on Nemesi or his organization. Why else would he send his best man out here to take care of them?"

"I think you're right, Chin. We've been ten steps behind them this whole time. We have to use what we've got and find some damned leverage to nail this guy with."

"Why don't Chin and I go back to the Palace and run the family to see why they were targeted. Just call us if something happens with Danny, okay?"

"Absolutely. Thanks, you guys." Steve said sincerely. He knew he was blessed to have a team like this and he needed them to know it.

"We're family brah. We look out for each other." Chin stated simply, then walked out of the room, Kono following.

H

5

0

As Steve gently ran the damp cloth over his partner's face, he did what he always did when Danny was down. He talked. It felt unnatural to have things be so silent between them, and if Danny couldn't talk, Steve would just have to fill the silence himself. He talked about the leads they had on the case and about how he needed Danny to wake up. Mostly, though, he just told stories. Ones he had never told anyone else.

"It was kind of funny actually. I just saw her kicking Jamshid's ass. And her I was, tied up and looking like shit in front of this…this _incredibly_ beautiful woman. I'm not sure how she managed to make BDUs look sexy, but she did. When she finally killed him, she came up to me and just said 'Morning, Commander.'"

_"Please tell me you're real. 'Cause I'm really sick of hallucinating." Steve said weakly, barely able to raise his eyes enough to look at his rescuer._

_"Don't worry, Commander. I'm real. Lieutenant Catherin Rollins, at your service." The woman said with a warm smile that reminded Steve of the sunshine he hadn't seen in over a month. "Can you tell me where you're hurt, Commander?" Steve gave her a dopey smile, his eyes glassy with fever._

_"Cut the bullshit, Rollins. Call me Steve."_

_"Alright, Steve. Now where are you hurt?"_

_"I dunno. Everywhere I guess." he mumbled, dull blue eyes fluttering closed. Catherine took his face in her hands._

_"Uh uh, no sleeping yet. I need you to stay with me, Steve. Do you think you can walk?" she asked as she took his pulse and assessed his general condition. She frowned as she listened to his weak, wheezing breaths._

_"Dunno." He answered honestly. As she finished her examination of the SEAL's body, she grew increasingly more angry with the dead terrorist on the floor. Steve's body was covered in bruises and burns. Fingernails were missing. Bones were broken. Lashes from a whip covered his body. A stab wound bled sluggishly on his abdomen. He was so thin that he almost looked nothing like the man she had seen in the mission file._

_"Well, let's try, ok? Your team is just outside of the village. It's not far."_

_"Team?" he said, his voice fainter still. "Thought they were dead…they okay?"_

_"Worried about their fearless leader. Said you saved them all. C'mon, let's get you up." She said, gently wrapping the arm that wasn't broken around her shoulders and standing up. Though he tried to take his own weight, he ended up placing most of it on Catherine. Had he been at full strength, she wouldn't have even been able to stand, but in his emaciated state, he barely weighed a thing._

_"Good. You're doing great Steve. Just lean on me, okay? We'll get you out of here real soon."_

_"Sorry…" he mumbled as he tripped. "Not usually like this."_

_"It's okay. How about you make it up to me with dinner when this is all over?" She said, trying to keep him awake._

_"Got the perfect place. Ever been to Coronado?"_

_"No, not yet."_

_"Then it will be my pleasure to show you around."_

_"I look forward to it." She smiled. Despite herself, she couldn't help but like the sick man she was practically carrying._

_"Cath'rine?" Steve asked, beginning to slur his words. He stumbled again and nearly fell._

_"Just a little bit further Steve. Just stay with me. Tell me about your family, huh? Where are you from?"_

_"Not much of a family. Mom's dead. Dad's shut us out. Sister is all messed up. Failed her."_

_"I doubt that, Steve. Your sister, Mary Ann, right?"_

_"Mmmmhhhmmm."_

_"I've met her, you know. When we started working on a plan to get you out, she came to me. Said you were the best brother she could ever ask for and that you'd always watched out for her. She also said she felt bad for everything she'd gotten mixed up with. Felt like she'd disappointed you." Steve shook his head._

_"Could n'ver disappoint me." As he said that, he leaned more on Catherine as his legs began to fail him._

_"Just a little further, okay? You're doing great. Top's gonna patch you up and we'll get you to a hospital, okay?"_

_"Top?"_

_"Remember? He's your team medic. He told me you were best man at his wedding." Then Steve remembered. Tim Kelly, Top to the members of SEAL Team Three, had been his best friend since he had enlisted._

_"He ripped his pants. Had to get him new ones. Almost didn' make it to the church on time." They lapsed into silence until they reached the small forest on the edge of the village. Then there were voices all around him._

_"Steve!"_

_"Hey, Smooth Dog's back!"_

_"Whoa whoa! Easy there, man. Let's get you into the helo before you do that." Someone said as he felt his legs go entirely limp. Strong hands gently carried him over to the waiting chopper and they laid him on the litter in the center. As Top hovered over him, he became dimly aware of a voice, probably Top's judging by the fact that his lips were moving, drifting Towards him, but he just couldn't understand the words. Suddenly, a small, soft hand closed around his own and he blearily turned his head to see Catherine, looking at him, worry and fear rolling off her. That brought him back and he finally registered Top's words._

_"Dog…come on, Steve! Talk to me, man. You with me?"_

_"T-top?" _

_"Yeah man. Where'd you go there? You scared us." _

_"S'rry." Steve said, his voice no more than a hoarse whisper now._

_"You don't have a damned thing to be sorry about, okay Steve? But I need you to tell me what's wrong. What hurts?"_

_"C-can't feel anything anymore."_

_"Okay," Top said, failing to mask the jolt of fear that ran through him at Steve's words. "Do you know where you're hurt the worst?"_

_"Think he st-stabbed m-me. Ribs." Top's skilled hands flew to Steve's abdomen and he pulled up the thin shirt. They all gasped when they saw the too-thin man where there had once been well defined muscle. The stab wound was still bleeding, faster now that the move had re-opened it. Top could also see clear signs that it was badly infected. As he rinsed the wound, Steve's sense of pain returned and his back arched. Catherine was quick to take his hand._

_"Shhhh, just breathe Steve. In and out. In and out. Just like that." She coached. As his eyes slid closed for the final time that day, he clearly remembered the last thing he saw was her radiant face, smiling at him with poorly concealed concern._

"When I woke up, I was in Germany and it was two weeks later. She was sitting by my bed. She helped me through every step of my recovery. I guess that's how we got so close. I finally got her to Coronado three months later, but we never did make it to dinner…" he said, smiling at the memory of what they had done instead. After he wet the cloth again and turned back to Danny, he saw the man in question stirring weakly on the bed.

"Danno? Come on, partner. Open your eyes for me." It took a few tries, but eventually, two hazy eyes flickered open and landed on Steve. Danny's mouth worked to try to form words, but his voice was stopped by the tube down his throat. Steve could see the moment the panic started.

"Hey, hey it's okay. You're in the hospital and that tube's there to help you breathe. You can't do it on your own just yet. Let it do the work for you, buddy." Danny gave a weak nod. "Do you remember what happened?" Danny nodded again.

"It's good to see you awake, man. How ya feelin'?" Danny tilted his hand in a so-so gesture, then pointed to Steve.

"Me? I'm okay. See? No IVs even." He saw Danny try to find a way to get another question across to Steve, but he just couldn't seem to figure out how to show it. Knowing Danny like he did, Steve just decided to cover all of the bases.

"Chin's called Rachel and explained everything to her. As a precaution, since Nemesi's men got away, we've got some pretty heavy protection on them. They'll be safe. Chin and Kono are fine. They're at HQ right now running down leads." Danny nodded then sagged back into his pillow. With as much strength as he could muster, he took Steve's hand and squeezed it in a silent thank you.

"You bet, buddy. We'll figure this. I promise."

**Like it? I felt like a little Steve story within a Danny centric story was necessary, so I decided to answer on of the show's biggest questions. I might get to chapter nine tonight, so keep checking! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Another chapter coming right up! Ya'll should be able to comment fine on this one I think, but let me know if you can't! Gaahhh, I have so many ideas for more stories, but I know I won't finish this one if I start a new one! I'm an impatient person…Anyhoooo, Enjoy! Oh, and if things are coming a little slow with this story, I'm sorry! My laptop literally got cracked in half! Geek squad said it's actually savable, so it's being sent to Texas for like two weeks to be fixed. In the meantime, I get my dad's ancient laptop that takes an hour just to turn on, has no spell check (so sorry for any errors!), and it overheats really easily, so if I update slowly, I apologize!**

Steve paced Danny's room, speaking to Grace on the phone and trying to calm her. Grace was no longer at an age where she would believe a white lie or a cleaned up version of the truth. Steve had to be careful now, but damn if Grace wasn't just as perceptive as her father.

"I know, kiddo, but they won't let you see him anyways. I'm only allowed to be here because he might still be in danger and I have to make sure no one come after him."

"_In danger from who? Who's gonna hurt him, Uncle Steve?"_ he sighed.

"I'm not sure Gracie. Uncle Chin and Auntie Kono are trying to figure that out right now."

"_Why are all these policemen here? Did they threaten us?"_

"No, but we just want to be sure. You and I both know that you and your mom's safety is the most important thing to your dad."

"_So, you don't who hurt Danno, you don't know if we're safe…can you at least tell me that he's okay? I need him." _Well if that didn't just break his heart.

"He woke up not too long ago. He can't talk yet, but he was asking about you. He's going to need some time, but the doctors say he's looking up and that he should recover."

"_Don't bullshit me, Uncle Steve!"_

_"_Okay, first, where did you learn that word? I'm positive your father would not approve of that."

"_Stan taught it to me."_ Steve didn't think he could hate Step Stan anymore. He was wrong.

"Stanley and I are going to have a chat soon. In the meantime, I meant what I said. Danno's still very sick, but he's a lot better than he was. He's going to get better Gracie. I promise you. And we will find the people who did this and we will take them down."

"_Ok…Thanks Uncle Steve. Could you just tell Danno when he wakes up that his monkey loves him?"_ After assuring her that he would, Steve collapsed into his chair. In truth, while Danny was doing slightly better, it was only a minucle step away from the precipice of death. His eyes drifted back down to Danny. God if he didn't still look like a corpse. He bowed his head and sent a silent prayer, hoping for some kind of miracle to bring Danny back. Grace had all but figured out what was going on. What if she realized what was really happening? Steve didn't even want to consider that. He raised his head from his hands as a doctor walked in.

"Commander McGarrett?" he asked, offering his hand to Steve. "I'm Paul Turner. I've been in charge of Daniel's medical care since he arrived. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to introduce myself yet."

"No, no I get it, really. Thanks for coming down here. How is he?" Steve asked gesturing to Danny.

"Daniel is holding his own at the moment, which is a good sign. His latest scans show that the swelling in his brain is steadily decreasing. In fatc, it's almost gone. His fever is at a slightly more managable 104 degrees. The transfusions seem to be helping a great deal with the blood loss. All in all, he's in very bad shape, but I'm not ready to count him out just yet. In my professional opinion, I believe he will pull through. I won't lie to you; it's going to be long, hard, and painful. Unfortunately, he may never get back to where he was before this happened. However, each patient is different and Daniel is no exception. From what I've heard from other doctors, he's one helluva fighter." Steve stared at Turner, stunned.

"He's…you mean…he's gonna make it?" he stammered.

"I believe so. I'm actually going to try right now to lessen his sedation and see if we can't get him to wake up. It may take a while, or it may not happen at all. Right now, it's up to him." Turner smiled.

"Thanks doc. Honestly, I think you're the first one here to believe in him."

"I never doubted him in the fist place. And please, call me Paul, Commander."

"Only if you call me Steve."

"That's a fair deal." They smiled. After Turner had left, Steve called Kono.

"_Hey Boss. Danny okay?"_

"Yeah. He's actually doing a lot better. I just met his doctor and he just started to let him wake up, so he might be coming around soon."

"_Oh thank God! Chin and I are on the way. Oh, and you won't believe what we've got for you on the Nemesi case."_

"Great. See you soon."

H

5

0

"So, Santoro Vieri." Kono began. "He's an Italian, wanted for murders all across Europe and with the case in Maui, they've been able to tie him to at least a dozen here in the States. INTERPOL says they doubt Vieri is his real name, but it's the one he uses most often. He's associated with a group called the Black Order. They're supposed to be an offshoot of the Catholic church, but according to the CIA, they've gone totally off the reservation. They're leader, Father Niccolo Nemesi, has supposedly taken Christianity and warped it into something almost completely unrecognizeable. But, very little is known about the Black Order. It's like a cult and the members are all die hards like Vieri, who would rather take their own life than talk. That Croatian you questioned was probably their weakest link. The other we have aren't talking. What has been gathered about the Black Order over a period of about fifty years is enough to freak me out. Apparently, Nemesi's been the order's leader since it's inception, he claims that it's far older than anyone knows. Follower's of the Order believe that Nemesi's Gos's vessel and that he's hundreds of years old. The order is dedicated to continuing the Holy Inquisition. You know, like witch trials and all that. They also go after those not loyal to the Church. And I'm not talking about the current church. I mean Nemesi's version. When he catches word of someone who is trying to bring them down, Nemesi sends out people he calls 'the faithful', like Vieri, to kill them. That's where the family in Maui comes in. James and Cora Flynn, along with their nine year old daughter Amanda. On the surface, they seemed totally normal. But we got in touch with the people processing the Flynn's house, and they found a lot of old art and writings from Italy. Chin and I wen through their family history and it turns out that on Cora Flynn's side of the family, there was a man named Rodrigo Oliveri. Now, Oliveri was a rather outspoken member of the Protestant Church. He was one of the key member's of the anti-inquisition movement until his death, where he was burned to ash in his own bed. The Black Order, called the Cavalieri dell'Ordine Nero back then, said it was an act of God, though Oliveri's family always belived the Black Order was responsible." Steve stared at her for a moment, trying to absorb all of this new information. What the _hell_ had they gotten into?

"So what, Nemesi had the Flynn's killed because of some ancestor way back when that had already been dealt with? That doesn't make sense."

"That's what we thought too. Then, we talked to Cora's sister, who told us about the book she and James were about to have published. It was a detailed biography of Rodrigo Oliveri's life, with heavey blame for his death being placed on the Black Order. The Flynn's researched this so well, that they must've found something on the Order. They even went to Italy to find more for their book. Whatever they found, it must've been some pretty damning evidence. That's why Nemesi sent Vieri. Without even realizing it, the Flynn's were threatening to expose the Order. The good news is, we got to the Flynn's house before Vieri could torch the place like he'd planned. That means, we have a copy of the Oliveri biography. We may have what we need to take these crazy sons of bitches down."

**Quick note here, I really hope I'm not pressing any religious buttons here. This is all purely from a historical standpoint. If I didn't make it clear enough, the bad guys DO NOT represent the Catholic Church. They are only a bunch of ficticious crazies. I tried to research this as best as possible, but If I did get something wrong, I'm sorry! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Guys, I am so excited to continue this story, like oh my gosh! I've got ideas, people! For all of oyu worrying over me giving up on this or finishing it quickly with a flat ending, don't you worry. Ya'll have stuck with me too long and have been so patient for me to give you a so-so ending. And Steve whumpers, I'm pretty sure I'll have more coming for ya!**

Steve stared at her for a moment.

"Exactly how good is the information in the biography?"

"I don't know, but it must've been enough to expose, or else why would Nemesi have cared?"

"Good point. Okay, we need to start-" Steve began, going into leader mode, but Kono cut him off.

"Way ahead of you boss. Chin?" She said, nodding to her cousin. Chin stepped forward and pulled out three huge files.

"Got it right here." He said, handing one of the immense files out to each of them. "We each take a copy and start looking, we're bound to find something." Steve smiled, then wasted no time getting started. For over four hours, they sat in the hard chairs around Danny's bed, poring over the text, highlighting any possible releveant information. So absorbed were they in their task that they almost didn't notice the faint stirring of the man in the bed. Almost. As soon as Steve realized what was going on, he was at Danny's side in an instant, encouraging him towards consciousness.

"Come on, Danny. You can do it. Just open your eyes for me, okay?" Several rapid blinks later, two hazy blue eyes found their way to Steve's. At first, they were filled with confusion, but as they looked around, they became panicked.

"It's alright Danny, you're gonna be okay. You're in the hospital. Do you remember what happened? Blink once for no, twice for yes." Two blinks. "Good, that's really good Danno. Chin just paged the doctor so he should be here soon." Just as he said that, Turner entered the room.

"Hello Daniel. My name's Paul Turner, I'm the doctor who's been handiling your case since you arrived here. I'm just going to check your vitals real quick now that you're awake." Gently, Turner went about observing Danny's heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. When he was finished he smiled at them. "Well, you're oxegenation levels are up enough that we can take out the breathing tube now. Your vitals look pretty good, all things considering." Twenty minutes later, the tube was out and Steve was helping Danny drink. Chin and Kono had left to read over the Oliveri biography.

"Easy, slow sips." Steve cautioned. Danny threw him a look that told him a look and in sign language, another one of Danny's many unique talents, told Steve in no uncertain terms, where to go and what to do when he got there.

"Yeah, I know. Keep going on like that and it will rub off on Gracie." Steve said bitterly, remembering what she had said earlier. Danny caught Steve's tone, but filed it away for later. When he was finally able to speak, he was so exhausted that his voice was barely a whisper.

"H-how did we get out?" he asked quietly.

"We faked a call to Nemesi's men and told them we had been killed. That caused them to turn off the jammers. After that, we got in touch with Wade and Joe. They got us out, then sent teams of shooters in after those sons of bitches. We lost two of the three teams before Nemesi's men got away." Steve said sadly. Danny closed his eyes as if he could block out the horrors that forest had seen just by that one simple action.

"You?" he asked, looking over at Steve.

"I'm fine Danny. Just a little burn, but it's healing, don't you worry. We just really need you to concentrate on getting better."

"Try. Grace?"

"She's good man. I talked to her this morning. I gotta tell ya, it's getting harder and harder to bend the truth around her. She's just too smart."

"That's my girl." Danny said with a smile, his weak voice filled with pride. "We gonna get these guys Steve?"

"Yeah, Danny. We will. We've got some really solid leads we're following up on."

"Like what?" Danny asks, his voice barely audible.

"Danny, why don't you just concentrate on getting better-"

"Please, Steve…" Danny all but begged.

"It's…it's so complicated, man. I feel like we came into this way too slow and way too late. I mean, this thing goes all the way back to the middle ages. Ancient secret societies, what the hell? God, I really miss your insight right now. You would've had this already."

"Not dead, ya know." Steve smiled.

"No, you're not. But you're still so sick and you need to rest. I need to know you're going to be okay and get better."

"Steve, none of us will be safe until we get them. Tell me. You don't have to do this all alone." And there it was. All of what their friendship stood for. Before that fateful shouting match over a red tool box, they had both been so very alone in the world. Somewhere along the way, those arguments became friendship. And that friendship became a bond stronger than blood. It was with those simple words that Steve realized that this went both ways. They helped each other. No man for himself. He closed his eyes and told Danny everything Kono had said. Throughout it all, Danny held his gaze. Steve also told him all that he had read in the book so far, which was about half of it.

"So the preists of Nemesi's cult were necessary because supposedly, a 'witch' cursed the children of influential members of government with some kind of demon or something and these preists were apparently the only one who could exorcise the demon. Other priests tried, but they couldn't help the children. Now the Flynn's believe this is how the Black Order stayed in power. Nemesi would save their children, but in exchange for soemthing. Even last year, there was a case where a Vatican official's daughter became sick with some unknown illness. She was hospitalized and almost died. As a last resort, the family brought in a priest and in a private ritual, he 'healed' the girl. The doctors said it was a miracle. But the Flynn's compared this against Oliveri's research and found that instances exactly like this have bee happening all throughout Europe for centuries. Danny, you're a father. You know how far you'd go to save Grace. Hell, I've seen how far you'd go. Nemesi's doing this, but I just can't figure out how." They let that hang in the air for a moment, then, in a weak whisper, Danny began.

"Poison."

"What?"

"Nemesi's men poison the children, force their parent's to bend to their will. This gives them nearly unlimited power within a government. And their armies of followers are probably those who have seen the priests' supposed 'healing rituals', which are most likely just when the antidote is administired. So now they have deotion through fear in politics, and devotion through religious faith in the common people."

"Danny, I think you're on to something. I'm going to call Chin and see if they've found anything along those lines." He pulle dout his cell and hit number three on his speed dial.

"_Steve, hey. How's Danny?"_

"He's good. Awake and alert. Actually, he may have just figured this out. Have you and Kono come across anything about drugs or poison?"

"_How did you know? We found a section on a rare drug called Sanguinem Daemonium. It translates to 'blood of the demon'. It is said to have been used by the Holy Inquisition to place blame on the Protestants for demonic possesions."_ Steve looked down at Danny and msiled. They had it. This was the key. _Sanguinem Daemonium_ must be what they were using to control the powerful families, and if those families found out, they could cut out Nemesi and his people and push them out of power. That's why Vieri was sent after the Flynns.

"Ok, Chin, listen very carefully. We think-" Steve never got to finish his though because at that moment, his world disolved into black and his mind went blank. As he fell forward, Paul Turner stepped forward.

"Sorry Steve." he said with an unsympathetic smile.

"You have done well." said another man, coming up behind Turner and placing a hand on his shoulder. The man had to be somewhere north of ninety years old, but he looked strongand he stood tall. "You shall be rewarded, my son."

"Thank you Father. I do what I can to serve our noble order."

**Whooo, this story is taking a completely different direction than I thought it would when I started it, but I think I like it! Cliffie! I'm having waaaayyyyy too much fun with this! Is that even possible? Well I hoped you enjoyed this as much as me. Religious disclaimer same as the last chapter, and again,I'm sorry of there are any historical inaccuracies! Oh, and my Latin may be off. I haven't studied it since high school!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I know, it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry! Life is crazy! I officially go back to work on Monday, but Mitch took me in to go visit yesterday and I forgot how much I missed that place. I work as a pediatric assistant and it was so nice to see all of "my" kids again! Anyway, enough excuses! Actually, one more excuse. Sorry for any spelling/gramatical errors. This old laptop I'm using while mine's being fixed doesn't have spell check and it can't always keep up with what I type, so it will skip letters or spaces. Sorry!**

Turner wiped the Commander's blood off the butt of his gun and tucked it back in his waistband.

"Shall we begin?" he asked Nemesi, closing the door and pulling the privacy curtain.

"Yes, my boy. Do you have what we'll need?"

"Of course Father." With that, they set to work. Nemesi effortlessly picked up the unconscious former SEAL and threw him into a chair. He then produced a length of strong silk cord and bound Steve's feet, then his hands, palm up. The man in the chair did not stir. Turner walked over to Danny. Too weak to defend Steve or even yell for help, all Danny could do was watch.

"And don't think we've forgotten about you, Detective. We'll need you both for the _ritual._" The doctor said, putting a terrifying emphasis on the word. Turner roughly jerked the IVs from Danny's arm and dragged the barely conscious man into a chair next to his partner. Once he was bound, Turner and Nemesi stood back to admire their handiwork.

"Yes, they'll do fine. I see we have made an excellent selection." Nemesi purred. "Wake him up." he said to Turner as he jerked his head toward Steve. Turner grabbed the bucket of water that had been used to cool Danny when his fever got too high and threw it on Steve. He jerked awake, but remained silent as he took in the situation.

"Wha's goin' on? Why are you doin' this?" Steve asked, his words slurring a litte. Neither of their captors answered. Instead, they each produced a small dagger with an intricatley carved handle, then plaved wads of silk in their mouths to silence them. As he examined the blade, Steve realized the symbol, a cross made from two swords, was the same that had been painted on the faces of the dead SEALs in the jungle with their own blood. The two men approached Steve and Danny. With a glance at each other, they advanced.

"This, my dear boys, is an old ritual. Almost as old as the Order itself. You seen, when you take the lives of our brothers, the action is repayed in kind." Turner said with a cold smile. "And you two are more than perfect. Brother's of the heart sometimes work even better than brothers of blood." With a flick of their wrists, both men took their blades and began to cut into the partners' flesh. Their screams were silent, but their pain was evident as Nemesi and Turner carved the symbol of the Black Order into their chests. Through his pain, Steve found a way to worry over Danny. Danny had been barely living while he was connected to all of the life saving machines. He had only just started to breathe for himself. Danny wouldn't last long. Steve only hoped that chin was on his way. For his own sake too. He could feel the blood, red and hot, pouring down his chest. Employing and old technique had had learned when he had been held prisoner by the Taliban, Steve found a way to distract himself by concentrating on one thing besides the pain. He chose to listen to the soft chant Nemesi and Turner were whispering.

"Sanguine fratrum debitum reddidit. Ulta dolores nostros. Et dimittam eos piae cupiditatis sitis inferni et mittere ad paradisum. Et propter sanguinem figura horum duorum fratrum daemones expellendi sanctus_._" Steve swallowed as he remembered the latin he had learned as a boy. '_By the blood of the brothers is our debt repaid. Our sorrows avenged. Our thirst the inferno take them and release our kin and send them to paradise. By the blood of the brothers and our holy symbol shall these two demons be expelled._' They repeated their litany over and over until they were done. As he fought for breath, Stev turned his head to look at his partner. Danny was slumped over, unconscious, Steve hoped. If possible, Danny's skin was even paler than before. Steve's eyes frantically searched for signs of life and he sagged a bit with relief when he saw Danny take a small, tentative breath. Steve's relief was short lived, however, as Nemesi and Turner removed small vials of some clear liquid and poured it over their blades. Resuming their chant once again, the devout men took their daggers and with slow deliberate motions, sliced open the tender flesh of Steve and Danny's wrists. Under all of the pain, Steve could feel the immediate change. His body began to jerk and he felt his eyes rolling back in his head. The last thing he heard before the darkness took him was Nemesi's soft "It is finished, my son. You have done very well."

H

5

0

The scene that greeted Chin Ho Kelly was straight out of a nightmare. As he burst through door and tore open the curtain, he nearly dropped his gun at the shock of seeing Dr. Paul Turner standing side by side with Father Nemesi before his two friends, who were obviously dying. He vaguely remembered yelling for them to drop their weapons, and he and Kono putting a  
bullet in each of their chests when they charged. They ran over to their teammates, unsure of what to do. Finally, their screams for help were answered. Doctor Ling, who Chin remembered had treated both Steve and Danny in the past, rushed into the room.

"Oh God…Alright, what do we have?" Ling asked, coming up to the two men. Being that bleeding was fairly self-explanatory, Chin looked around and saw the empy vials on the floor. Putting that together with the dark lines traveling up Steve and Danny's arms from the cuts on their wrists, Chin began to explain his thoughts.

"I think they've been poisoned too. With a rare compund called _Sanguinem Daemonium." _Chin quickly recited the cure treatment he had read about in the Flynn's book. Ling nodded. Suddenly, there were doctors and nurses all around, cutting the men free and whisking them away on stretchers. Ling followed after Danny while shouting to a colleague about how to treat Steve. When the doctors had left with the dying men, and eery calm fell over the ICU. Still in shock, Chin and Kono's eyes cast around the room, taking in all the blood. As the true horrors of what had occurred there caught up with Kono, she felt the dam burst and tears flood down he cheeks. Chin took her in his arms, more to comfort himself than anything. He could actually feel the foundations of his trademark calm crumbling beneath him and had he not had Kono, his best friend and little sister for all intents and purposes, he would have fallen into the chaos he so feared. Kono sniffed ad hiccuped her way back to a somewhat functional state, then took his hand.

"C'mon. Let's go see if we can find out anything about them."

H

5

0

Four hours of impatient waiting later, Ling emerged from the double doors of the OR. Chin stood up immediately and Kono followed suit.

"How are they?"

"Alive. If you hadn't told us about the toxin, they would have died within minutes. We were able to counteract it and negate the effects. Our biggest concern right now is the blood loss. The cuts to their chests weren't deep, but the ones on their wrists nearly caused them to bleed out. I expect Steve to recover without complications provided he rests. In addition the knife wounds, he does have a consusion as well. However, I am familiar with Steve's…habits when Detective Williams is injured as well, so I've put them in the same room. Hopefully that will encourage him ot rest."

"What about Danny?"

"He's…I am an optimistic man and I try to never doubt my patients, but I must admit that from a medical standpoint, his condition is looking rather bleak. His body can barely cope with the stress of all of his injuries. He did code once on the table, but we were able t bring him back. Honestly, we've done all we can and the rest is up to Danny now." After he let that sink in, Ling led them off to Steve and Danny's room. Both of their bare chests were swathed in bandages. While Steve's sleep was restless, Danny's was frighteningly still. He had been place don the ventilator once more and all of his many IVs had been replaced. Taking the seats between their beds, Chin and Kono sat down and let the events of the few days sink in. The only sound in the room was the occasional sad mutterings from Steve as he slept.

"No…not Danny. Please…don't…hurt him. Me…not him. Please…"

**Not very long, but I hope it's enough for now! Mitch is taking me on our first date since the surgery and I'm excited! The doctor said I can be eating normal foods now, so he's treating me to Olive Garden. Oh, and sorry if the Latin's off. I haven't studied it since high school. That's why I put the meaning of what I was trying to say beneath it. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**XOXOXOXOXOXO**

**HipsterMaybe**

**P.S. To Jso who reviewed on the last chapter, your "I love you dude!" made my day! Thank you!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I am a horrible person. I should've updated last night, but instead, I carved pumpkins. By carved pumpkins, I mean I drew a pretty design on them and Mitch did all of the knife work. Anyway, I'm really sorry. You guys were so patient during everything this past month and you deserve better. I seriously love you all by the way. Oh, and I got my laptop back! Plus, sadly there won't really be any Steve and Danny in this chapter. It's mostly centered around Chin and Kono, but I assure you, it's necessary to the plot and resolution. I know. I'll miss them too.**

Chin's eyes flew open as he heard a piercing scream from the floor below them. Kono jerked awake and threw him a look. Nodding to each other, they pulled their guns out and silently crept out of their team mates' room. Once out in the hallway, they could see the dozens of other officers there to process Danny's old room and to protect Five-0's leading members moving toward the sound of the scream, drawing their weapons cautiously. They moved down the stairs together, preferring not to take the too slow elevator. They moved through every corridor until they reached the main lobby. There, a young blonde nurse was sobbing hysterically as she stood over an obviously dead man. In her hand, she held a bloody scalpel. One glance at the man on the floor told him that she had killed him. Slowly, he moved up to the young woman.

"Ma'am?" he asked softly so as not to alarm her. When she didn't respond, he took a moment to examine her ID and found her name. "Holly?" he tried again. She looked up, tears in her eyes.

"He-he t-tried to kill me! He had a knife! Then he charged at us and I pulled this out and I…I s-stabbed him!" she wailed. Chin pulled her into his arms, expertly removing the scalpel from her shaking grasp as he did so. Kono deftly caught it in an evidence collection bag she had requested as soon as she'd seen the blood.

"Holly," Chin said, taking her by the shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "this is very important. Did the man say anything to you? Anything at all?" Chin asked as his suspicions mounted. The blade grasped in the assailant's hand looked identical to the ones Nemesi and Turner had used on Steve and Danny.

"He…he said that 'Five-0 will fall before the sword of the faithful and this island of satan will b-burn with their bodies. I am one, but we are m-many. And we are coming'. You…You're Five-0 aren't you?" Holly asked, recognition dawning on her face. He nodded. "Oh God! What if he had killed you! God knows that you are the only ones who keep us safe." Chin felt his blood turn to ice and an iron clad grip squeeze his heart. Sitting the woman down and allowing another officer to calm her, Chin turned to Duke who had shown up sometime during the chaos.

"We need to lock this place down. These bastards are coming and they mean to start a war. We make our stand here. We need to end this Duke, or the killing and the fear and the threats will never stop." Duke nodded. That simple bob of his head showed Chin that Duke and all of HPD had his back a hundred and ten percent. Amazing how they had all changed their tune. Instead of the cold stares of hatred he had seen before, he now saw dedication and a sense of brotherhood only those who wear the badge know of burning in their eyes. Chin took a deep breath and considered his strategy. Steve was always better at this. He turned to face the expectant officers.

"Alright, I'll need roadblocks put up all around the hospital. Call in every member of any branch of military on or near the island. This is going to get real ugly real fast. I want all of the guns, ammo, and Kevlar you can get here as soon as possible. No one goes up against these guys without a vest. Officer Kalakaua and I have seen how they fight first hand. These sons of bitches are tough and play dirty. No tries to be a hero. No one runs off alone. Find your partner and stay with them. Reinforcements won't get here in time, so we'll have to hold them off as long as we can. This is more than just killing a bunch of evil crazies for revenge. More than protecting your brothers in law enforcement. We are protecting a whole hospital full of innocent, defenseless people. It goes even further than that. If we don't cut the head off of this thing here and now, they will literally burn the world. Are you with me?" Chin asked. He heard the rallying cries of assent and saw hatred for the Order burn in their eyes. They had all been told as much as time had allowed about the Black Order and they all had murder in their hearts. They set about efficiently completing their tasks. Chin took a calming breath and felt a hand on his arm.

"Great speech cuz. You really think we can do this?" Kono asked, her eyes scared, but determined.

"We'll have to. We end this now, Kono." She nodded. Within fifteen minutes, they had gathered all of the supplies they could. No one was without a vest and while ammo was plenty, guns were few. For every partner, one had a gun, and the other had been given blades provided by the hospital staff as well as hypodermics filled with drugs that would either kill or at least incapacitate their attackers. The staff had been locked into rooms with their patients and the hospital had been placed on the backup generator in case the power was cut. They stood quietly in the lobby, poised and ready. _Calm before the storm_, Chin thought to himself. Then all hell broke loose.

**Short chapter, but I like cliffies way too much. I'm going to update again tonight, so don't worry! By the way, Happy (late) Halloween to all you guys! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Another chapter. Maybe I can finish this over the weekend…? I do have Monday off as well. I shall have to see where the story takes me! Where did I leave off? **

The blast threw the first row of officers backward, but they were quick to rise to their feet. Immediately after, hoards of black cloaked figures surged through the smoke, screams of rage tearing from their throats. Soon, the fight was thick and bloody. Following Chin and Kono's example, the defenders stood back to back with their partner as they shot and slashed and stabbed away their assailants. Chin and Kono had worked out a system. Kono, having given up her gun to another officer so there were enough to go around, was armed with a knife from the hospital cafeteria. Whenever Chin got close to running out of ammo for his gun, he would use his last shots to cover his cousin as she tossed him a clip. She would hold off his attackers as he reloaded. Their bodies fell into a rhythm of attacking and defending. As the bodies piled up around them in a grotesque barricade, they found that they had to move often in order to find open ground to fight. No matter how many seemed to fall, more came. They could all feel themselves tiring, but they tapped into energy reserves they didn't know they had. So far they had been able to hold the line and keep Nemesi's followers out of the rest of the hospital and they intended to keep it that way. In the middle of the chaos, Chin and Kono were a force of destruction, expertly taking down every fanatic that came their way. The Order's generals saw this and soon the two most skilled fighters of them all were rushing the members of Five-0. Kono lashed out with her knife in broad arcs. Though nearly every slash connected with her attacker's flesh, he neither fell nor even acknowledged that he had been wounded. Chin's, an expert in close combat, knocked the gun from Chin's hand. As the cloaked man deftly flaunted his knife around in a gesture meant to intimidate him, Chin simply hefted one of the heavy steel beams that had once been part of the door that had been blown apart and cracked it over the man's head. With a grunt of satisfaction, he took up his gun, preparing to kill the man Kono was fighting, but he fell before Chin could even raise his piece. As he and Kono's eyes traced the path of the bullet that had struck him backwards, they felt their hearts leap at the sight of at least a hundred Marines, armed to the teeth, standing tall and proud. A young man in front who held the gun that had killed the Kono's assailant winked, then barked to his men to fight. Nodding to each other, Chin and Kono entered the fray once more. As they fell back into their new routine, they found their second wind. After the Marines, scores of men from the Navy, National Guard, and even the FBI and CIA offices on the island poured into the lobby. The Knights of the Black Order fell as the men and women, loyal defenders of Hawaii, found new strength. The fight ended quickly afterwards. It was almost instantaneous. One moment, the room was filled with shouts and screams and primal battle cries. The next, silence. The mournful quiet hung in the air, so loud that it seemed to freeze everyone where they stood. Without a sound, they slowly took in the horrors around them. Their bodies shook as the adrenaline waned and exhaustion took over. Before they knew it, doctors were rushing out to treat the wounded. The members of the Black Order who had somehow survived the slaughter were bound and taken away. Silently, Chin and Kono wandered up stairs to Steve and Danny's room and sank down against the wall. A streak of blood marred the white paint behind where their backs had been. If it was theirs, they didn't feel the pain. They were numb. Soon, their heavy lidded stares the wall opposite them fell closed. Kono laid her head on her cousin's shoulder and Chin laid his own on her soft hair. Curled into each other just as they had done as children, they let sleep take them.

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Kono awoke to the hushed sound of whooshing air and a faint beeping. As her eyes flickered open, she saw Steve sitting between her bed and Danny's. Steve seemed to notice the change in her awareness. He smiled sadly and took her hand.

"Hey. How are you feelin'?" he asked, his voice hoarse and whispery.

"I'm okay." She lied. Immediately after she spoke, however, tears began to course down her cheeks. Steve gathered her in his arms and rocked her gently.

"Shhhh, you're okay. I got you. You did so well. I'm so proud of you Kono." He soothed, meaning every word. How long he held the young woman he had come to care for as a little sister, he did not know. When she finally forced the lid down on her emotions, she wiped her eyes.

"What happened after the fight? Where's Chin?" she asked, suddenly scared when she realized he wasn't there."

"He's okay. You two were both so exhausted last night. The nurses patched up a few cuts and scrapes, but mostly they said you needed rest. They brought in a few extra beds. You were out for at least twelve hours. Chin and I woke up about two hours ago. He just needed to get some air." Kono nodded.

"What about you? Last time I saw you, you weren't lookin' so hot, boss." Steve shrugged.

"I'll be okay. One hell of a scar, but I'll heal. The drugs are out of my system now."

"What about Danny?" she asked quietly, almost fearing his reply.

"He's…well, he hasn't really changed. Ling said we can choose to take this as good or bad. He's expecting Danny to improve throughout today and tomorrow if he's going to at all." Steve said, his voice thick as his throat clenched. He glanced over at his partner, taking in the pale skin and stillness. Shutting his eyes tight, he begged for the images of Danny being carved up beside him to leave his memory. Kono squeezed his hand.

"He can do this." She said firmly.

"He has to." Steve said, returning the pressure. They smiled weakly at each other just as Chin entered the room.

"Hey Kono. You okay?" he asked, taking a seat on her other side. She nodded. Chin turned his gaze on Steve. "You are supposed to be in bed, Steve." Steve let out a low sad chuckle.

"God, did you ever sound like Danny there."

"I spoke to Ling. He said we'll know by the end of the night if Danny's going to pull through. He said he's at a critical juncture."

"So now we wait?" Kono asked.

"Now we wait."

**Another short chapter, I know. But if you put these two together, you get a longish one! Look at me thinkin' and stuff…**


	14. Chapter 14

**So, you know how on the last chapter I said "Maybe I can finish it this weekend" and here we are on Thursday…? I'm sorry guys! I really meant to finish it! But then I had back to back doctor's appointments and then I got the flu, which we all know is so fun. I promise it'll get done soon! This could be the last chapter, but I'll just have to see where it takes me.**

Waiting had never been Steve's strong suit. He was a man of action used to quick fixes and finding ways around every obstacle he couldn't simply blow up. The next two days of just waiting were hell for him. Every time a nurse would come in to check Danny's progress, Steve would bombard the women with questions. Every little minute improvement gave him more and more reason to get his hopes up, but he was still cautious. He still needed to know. On the third day, Ling rapped gently on the window before entering Danny's room.

"You can stop harassing my poor staff now, Commander. Daniel's latest blood tests came back much better. He's responding well to the antibiotics and the infection is going away, albeit slowly. We also believe that he's strong enough to breathe on his own again, so a respiratory specialist will be in shortly to remove the ventilator. His latest scans show that the swelling in his brain has gone down significantly. In short, he's got a long road ahead of him, but it is my professional opinion that he will make a full recovery." They gaped at him for a moment, then one by one, wide grins split their faces. Steve was halfway between laughing and crying at this point. All of Five-0 had had just about enough near death experiences and were ready for some well-deserved down time that Denning had promised them.

"Thank you, doctor." Steve said, shaking the man's hand.

"The miracles of modern medicine will only get you so far. A lot of this was Daniel." Ling said humbly. "Just one thing, Steve. I was wondering if you'd be able to tell me if any progress has been made in taking down that cult or whatever it was that attacked the hospital. Myself and much of the staff here would like to know." Steve sighed.

"Well, the fight here wiped out at least half of them and effectively cut the head off of the thing, but there are still members out there. It seems most of the major players in the Order had flown in after hearing Nemesi was killed. Unfortunately, we'll probably never get them all, but whatever they'll do from now on will be small scale. They've lost their leader. It had always been pre-arranged who would be the next Father Nemesi, but this time, he died unexpectedly. With no clear successor, undercover agents in the Black Order say that there's a massive power struggle that's basically like their own civil war. They're killing each other and no one is really wanting to step in there and stop them. Right now, it looks like the Order is self-destructing. However, the CIA and it's counterparts around the world have started an active campaign to take down any known members. Beyond that, there's not much more we can do. It is safe to say that the Black Order is basically finished. All the children of the politicians who were poisoned are being treated. They have no power anymore."

"Well, it is a relief to hear that. I never really expected it to be wrapped up nicely with a bow on top, but this is close enough." Ling nodded to them, then left the room. Twenty minutes later, Danny was breathing on his own again. Ling had also started to allow Danny to come out of sedation and he was expected to wake within about four hours. Danny only needed two.

"Mmmmph…" Instantly, three heads who had been asleep shot up. Steve was the first to reach Danny's side.

"Danno? You with us buddy?"

"Don' call me 'anno." Steve laughed.

"Figures that would be the first thing out of your mouth."

"It's good to have you back, brah." Chin said, lightly clapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Where'd I go?" Danny asked groggily. Steve could see the wheel's in Danny's head start to turn again as he struggled to recall the events that had landed him in the ICU. Steve could also see the exact moment when Danny remembered. Easily reading the panic in his partner's eyes, Steve stepped in.

"Hey hey, everything's okay now. Nemesi and Turner are dead. Chin and Kono killed them themselves. I'm fine. We're all okay. We've just been worried about you." Steve soothed.

"But, isn't…aren't they…"

"Danny, you were out of it for a while, but there was kind of a major fight here. Half of the Order showed up." Kono said gently.

"I'm guessin' we won?"

"Yeah, buddy. We won. Parts of the Black Order are still around, but the organization is crumbling. It's over, Danny." They gave him a moment to process this.

"For a while there I didn't think it would ever be over. Week from hell, right?" Danny joked feebly.

"You can say that again." Steve said with feeling.

"Amen to that." Kono agreed.

**Ok, super short. Probably one more chapter, then I shall devote my full attention to Nalowale Kane…and all of the other little inevitable one shots that will happen as a result of my overactive imagination.**


	15. Chapter 15

**So, yeah…I feel really bad about not updating this for like a week. Busiest week EVER! The hospital I work at is putting together a magic show for the kids in the cancer ward. Do ya'll know how much effort is involved in finding a way to get all of those kids together in one room? And did you further know that all of this work and planning is delegated to the med students like myself? But I can't complain. Totally worth it. Anyway, last chapter here. I want to thank you all for sticking with it through everything. I love you guys!**

Danny Williams was tired of being tired. No matter how many times he was told that it was normal for him to be lethargic and that sleep was good for him, a man of perpetual motion like himself just could not stand the thought of sitting still another moment. He was sure that if he didn't spend all of his time in bed, he wouldn't feel the urge to sleep all of the time.

"Danny, you are going to stay in that bed if I have to handcuff you there myself, understand?" Steve threatened with exasperation after his friend's latest escape attempt. "What part of 'rest leads to a full recovery' did you not get?"

"I'm going crazy here, Steve! The food sucks, the bed is way too hard, the sheets are scratchy, and the TV channels here don't even include a sports package! That one nurse comes in every day and turns on the damn thing and always leaves the remote just out of reach. If I have to watch one more episode of The Young and Restless, I'm gonna lose my mind Steven!"

"I get it, Danny. I really do. I've had the shitty food, crappy beds, and psycho nurses that come with an extended hospital stay, but until a doctor says you can, you are not leaving this place. We got lucky, man. You should've died a hundred times over, but you didn't. Can you please just put up with it for a little longer? Can't it just be enough that you're alive?" And just like that, the fight left Danny. He could hear the concern and the painful memories in his partner's voice. He knew this had been tough on all of them, but for Steve especially.

"It is enough. I'm sorry, Steve."

"It's alright, Danny. Like I said, I get it. I'm sure that if it was me in that bed, you'd be here telling me the same exact thing." Steve said with a smile.

"No, you, Steven, would have found a way to get a hold of a grenade or a friggin' RPG and you would have already blown your way out of this place and I would probably find you bungee jumping or wrestling a bear or something crazy like that." Danny said seriously. Steve arched an eyebrow.

"A bear? Tell me, Daniel, now where would I find a bear in Hawaii?"

"You know, I used to ask myself questions like that all the time, but then I got to know you and I realized that the McGarrett Danger Magnet makes almost anything possible." Steve chuckled.

"The McGarrett Danger Magnet?" he laughed incredulously.

"It's a real thing. Over the last few years, Chin, Kono, and I have proven it to be true. You can make anything dangerous just by being there. Fishing trip? Boat jacked by a murderer. Dropping off our paychecks at the bank? Held hostage. Taking Grace to the mall? Bomb threat. It's not your fault; some people are just prone to danger."

"Ok, buddy. Sure…" Steve said, still smiling. It was good to have Danny back. Just then, the door opened and Ling walked in.

"Well, Detective Williams, you can stop plotting you next escape. I've scheduled your release for noon today."

"Really?" Danny asked, hardy daring to get his hopes up after two weeks in the hospital.

"Yes, really. Your latest round of test were very encouraging. You'll still need to take it easy and _rest_, but I can see no reason why you can't go home. You'll still need to come in every week for a while for follow up appointments and later, physical therapy, but as long as you have someone there to make sure you don't overdo it you should be fine." Ling said with a smile, as he nodded to Steve.

"I'll make sure he takes it easy, doc. And since you have such a nice new place, Danny, and not that old matchbox you used to live in, we can actually have you recover in your own house."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

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As they pulled into Danny's driveway, Danny was struck by how nice the place looked. The lawn had been mowed, the shrubs trimmed, and there was a warm lift glowing from behind the curtains. He smiled. Carefully, he made his way up the steps and into his house and was immediately greeted by heavenly smells and joyful laughter. The moment he and Steve entered the kitchen, three heads turned to greet them.

"Danno!" Grace yelled and ran to him, gently wrapping him in one of her famous hugs. Danny returned the soft embrace, relishing in the contact. Chin and Kono were next, rising from the table and enveloping him in their strong arms.

"C'mon, Danny. We've got lasagna in the oven. Your mother's recipe, of course." Kono said with a wink and a nod to Grace.

"And there's a Jets game on tonight!" The little girl giggle excitedly. Danny paused, leaning against the door frame, and looked around at all that lay before him. A warm, loving house full of friends and family. These were people who had proven just how far they would go for him. He would never forget it.

"Danny, you okay man?" Steve asked, instantly concerned as he tried to get Danny's attention. Danny realized that they were all staring at him.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just thinking about how lucky I am to have all of you. I can't thank you enough for all that you've done." They all smiled, then Steve helped him into a chair. The night passed in a joyful blur of incredible food, quality football, and the laughter of a family finally reunited. Once Grace had nodded off, Kono pulled out the beers they had been holding off on until Grace had fallen asleep. Steve, Chin, and Kono cracked their bottles open, while Danny sipped his water. They sat quietly for a moment, reflecting on all that had happened, until Steve broke the silence.

"To Petty Officer First Class Marcus Landon." He said, raising his glass. Chin raised his as well.

"To SEAL Teams Four and Nine."

"To Baker and Charlie Teams." Kono said, adding her glass to the center."

"And to those who fought and died at Tripler." Danny finished. The clinked their drinks together, then took a long slow sip. Never would they forget those who had given their lives to win the war that no one knew existed. Never would they forget the sacrifices they had all made for each other.

**The End! That last part is a belated nod to all of the veterans who have served our country, and to all of the active service members out there like my brother. Make sure you let the vets in your life know how much you appreciate their service. **


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